


Guilty Pleasure

by Artemis1990



Category: Ragnarok Online
Genre: Childhood, Childhood Friends, Consensual, F/M, Love, Slavery, Submission
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-11
Updated: 2017-02-24
Packaged: 2018-06-01 15:34:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,499
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6526018
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Artemis1990/pseuds/Artemis1990
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Journey of a young priestess to self discovery and happiness.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prontera, The Sinless Capital

It is a beautiful day in Rune-Midgard, the sun is shining among the blue sky with only scattered cloud to shield the people from it. People can be seen milling about in the field near the southern gate of the great city known as Prontera, from novices who undergoes their training fighting against those near harmless pink jelly-like monsters known as Poring to more veteran adventurers guiding and helping those same novices.

 

A petite figure walks through the plain while humming a happy tune, the purple robe she wore and scepter in her hand shows her profession as a priestess. As she walks through the plain, no less than several people turn their head to look at her in awe. She has waist length blonde that seems to shine under the sun as they wave gently in tempo with her pace. Her gentle crystal blue eyes seem to glow with mirth as she looks around her. She cannot help but remembers her own time as novice just years ago and a soft smile grazes her pretty face.

 

Her light steps take her straight toward the capital's southern gate until she stops right before the large and imposing gate. A male guard immediately approaches her as soon as she stops in front of the gate carrying with him a medium sized rucksack which causes the priestess to fidget slightly; she knows that is coming next. Sure enough, guard speaks up as he opens the empty rucksack with his hands, “Excuse me, by the law of King Tristan III, you need to remove everything you have on your body in order to pass the gate. Your belongings will be returned once you wish to exit the city.”

 

The pretty blonde nods with a deep blush on her as she reaches to the knot keeping her robe together and releases it. She lets the rest of the robe to come undone before taking it off completely revealing her naked body as she hands the clothing article to the guard. Her trusted weapon and shoes soon follows suit to complete the list of items on her body to be surrendered to the guard to be kept safe. 

Soon enough, the only thing left on her was a white collar around her neck with a golden tag which couldn't be take off no matter what. Afterward, the guard gives her a once over before finally signals the guard on top of the wall to open the small door at the side of the gate to let her through.

 

As soon as she passes the gate, the first thing that the blonde notices is that every single person both male and female of all ages in the city is lightly clothed. Most of them wear nothing but their underwear while some of the more bold ones prefer to be completely naked like she does. She continues to walk through the city streets mentally squashing the desire to cover her nakedness. The blonde cannot help but lets her mind wander to the time when the law was made just a little over a decade ago.

 

At that time, Prontera resembles nothing like the city she is walking through right now. It was almost like the whole city had become a slum as the streets are dirty and people walks about with their weapon ready to fight at moment’s notice. Thieves and rogues fill the alleyways as they search for easy target to pickpocket or flat out rob and kill. Beggars on every street side or even in the middle of the street yet no one would give them anything in fear of being targeted.

 

The king, saw the dying state of what supposed to be the pride and capital city of Rune-Midgard decided to take drastic action. He devised a law, so radical and out of the mind of common people that people thought that he had gone completely crazy. It happened one day when the king with his entire family stood in front of his castle in their birthday suit wearing only their crown and scepter in hand with one of his royal guard on the side reading the law from a scroll of parchment.

 

The law states that: Starting from the day the law was read and publicized that any type of equipment’s are strictly forbidden inside the city, be it armor, robe and / or weapons; any failure to comply would be judged by prison time and heavy fine on top of it. Furthermore, attempted hiding of body part will also result to similar punishment. Enough to say, many people goes up against the law, believing that such law would just ruin the city further instead of fixing it.

 

The couldn’t be more wrong, since the moment the law was passed the crime rate in the city dropped a whole 70% in the first month. Robbery and thievery reached all-time low as there was no one to rob or pickpocket. Even rape rate dropped significantly as the rapists found it harder to take advantage of others when their target could easily kicked their unprotected groin with painful result to escape their clutch. With such obvious, plain as day results, the protesters one by one had to admit that the radical law actually paid off and gave up on their quest to have it revoked.

 

Soon, the only opposition of the law came from the church who argued that the law was a sacrilege against the purity of their religion. Yet, the king was unrepentant as he soon gave the order that every single person in the church has to be completely naked with no exception; they aren’t even allowed to wear underwear to cover themselves. The anger of the church upon the law grew to unbeatable proportion as they threaten to boycott the king’s rule by refusing to train anymore acolytes or crusaders until their demand was met.

 

However, even the church finally had to bend and admitted defeat when a Valkyrie personally came in the middle of a mass, naked as a newborn baby as she delivered direct message from Odin himself. Odin had approved the king’s law and applauds him of his wisdom and insight, the King of Gods himself reiterated that nudity was not a stain in purity. Instead, state of complete nudity is the pinnacle of purity itself as it showed that the person had no blemish whether on his person or his soul. 

Thus, the last resistance against the king’s law no longer able to continue their fight and had to succumb to the order of not only the king of Midgard but King of Valhalla himself. As she herself is a priestess and therefore affiliated with the church, the blonde has to abide by the law and remain completely naked as long as she is within the confine of the city walls.

 

As she walked down the main street, she could feel people's eyes on her as they took in her naked form. Not only the males but also the females of all ages as they found themselves captivated by the priestess' pure and innocent beauty. The blonde, realizing that she was being the center of attention, cannot help but thinks that she might not be as embarrassed as she is if she, like most of the people in the city, spend more time being naked than clothed. However, that is not so as despite the law is strictly enforced in the city, it is recognized that doing so outside the walls would be suicidal at best.

 

Afterall, only a complete and suicidal idiot to boot that would dare venture out into the wild world and dungeon teeming with violent, lustful and more importantly bloodthirsty monsters with no protection or weapon. Being an active adventurer, she finds herself constantly sent out of the city regularly to embark on a quest whether it is personal or by the order of the church. The situation results in her never being able to get used to having to walk completely bare in public.

 

As the embarassment from the gazes accumulate, the blonde's body naturally starts to react. Her skin begin to flush red, sweat perspires all over her and her breathing turns slightly labored. Her nipples also starts to feel tingly as they turns several shades bolder in color due to the blood rushing through them, causing them to harden and juts out in arousal. Most importantly, the area between her thighs feels hot and liquid slips from her now puffy nether lips as it runs down her legs.

 

Thankfully, she soon reaches her destination as the blonde finally stops her steps as she stands in front of one of the oldest and most well known building in Prontera. The church located at the northern corner of the city may not look much but it is the official headquarter of the primary religion of Rune-Midgard. 

She had heard the rumor that the current church originated from a fusion of two religions which were different but at the same time also the same like two sides of the same coin. Not that it matters anymore since whether was true or not, it was a fact that the religion was approved both in Heaven and Earth alike, her own magic being the irrefutable proof.

 

With a sigh, she continues her trek toward the white walled building and enters through the wooden double door. The moment she stepped past the double door, the collar on her neck glowed as she felt all strength left legs, causing her to fell on her butt to the floor. Already expecting it to happen, the priestess wasn't harmed in the slightest from the fall. Instead, she pushed her body forward until she was on her hands and knees, her arms and legs were curiously spread wide enough to allow unobstructed view on her pussy and breasts. 

In fact, the pose seems to purposely allow her bald, red and drooling pussy and her perky breasts with her hard nipples hanging freely between her arms to be completely in plain view. Thankfully, the mass hall is nearly empty with only a few people inside praying to the Lord as she makes her way to the front crawling like an animal.

 

She crawls up the carpeted path that stretched right between the prayer benches until she reaches right before the podium where the head priest usually stands to do his sermon. She kneels before the statue of the Lord and clasps her arm for a brief prayer, a habit that all clergyman or woman has taken to show their devotion. A few minutes later, she pushes her body forward once again as she continues her trek, heading through the door on the right hand side. 

A red haired woman sits behind a desk there wearing a pair of glasses as she studies the journal-looking book in front of her. The room is where people who intent to marry can submit their registration and appointment to reserve the hall. She greets the woman behind the desk and exchanges pleasantries briefly before moving on once again as she goes through another door on the left end of the room that leads her to the living quarter.

Instead of entering one of the rooms though, she continues until she reaches the statue at the end of the hall. She approaches the statue and taps several spots on it in a rhythm. A brief rumbling can be heard as the statue moves to the side, revealing a hidden stair underneath that leads to the underground. The blonde descends through the hole before another rumbling sound signals that the statue has moves back to its prior position. 

She found herself in the hidden place that no one bar a select few knows about, not even most of the church’s own clergy members know about the existence of the place much less how to access it. The stairs lead her down deep in the underground until she finds herself in a place more akin to another long hallway with rows of doors on both side of it.

 

The hallway seems to resemble a dungeon due to the lack of lighting other than the rows of candles hanging on the walls. Moreover, though the hallways was wide enough for several people to fit walking side by side, the ceiling is so low that unless one is a midget, they won't be able to so much as fit under it... not while standing on full height, at least. 

However, as she is currently on all four, she easily fits through the opening as she crawls inside. Soon, she reaches the door with the same number as one on her collar tag. She turns to face the door and places the tag on her collar into the indentation on the door. A soft click tells her that the door has been unlocked, allowing her to enter. Using one arm, she pushes the door open before passing through it.

 

Once she passes the door, she is greeted by the familiar sight of a small room containing a low desk with basic writing utensil on them sitting in one corner, a single person mattress with folded blanket and pillow on the other corner and a half-length mirror at the end of the room. There wasn't much decoration on it but it doesn't bother her as she isn't the type to desire them to begin with. In fact, she was content with her room and saw no reason to add anything inside. 

With no hesitation, she heads toward the mattress and climbs on it before lying down on it and pull the blanket over her body. Tired from her journey, she priestess soon finds herself fast asleep


	2. The beginning

A blonde girl, looking about 10 years old with hair so long that it nearly touches the red rug is kneeling before the statue of God located inside the Prontera church. Her pristine uniform and silver rosary clasp between her hands as she prays shows her job as an Acolyte. 

Contrary to the situation in other parts of the city, inside the church has become something of a safe haven for those looking for reprieve from the poor condition of the supposedly capital city of Rune Midgard. She soon opens her eyes and rises to her feet, grabbing her staff besides her at the same time before she makes her way out of the church.

The moment she steps out of the church, a boy at least a few years older than her in thief outfit approaches her. While most others would immediately reach for their weapon, the girl does no such thing. Instead, she smiles as she greets him, “I’m sorry, Ryuu. Did I make you wait for long?” 

The boy shakes his head side to side before replying, his voice sounds rough and somewhat lacking in friendly tone but neither does it tinted by threatening tone, “No problem.”

The girl continues to smile as she twirls once before striking a cute looking pose before speaking again, “So, what do you think? Does it fit me?” 

This time, the boy, Ryuu nods once as he continues, “You look nice, congratulation.”

The girl nods enthusiastically, her smile widen as she speaks again, “Thank you, it’s thanks to you that I manage to become Acolyte so fast. Now, I can help supporting you instead of just being a dead weight to you.”

Ryuu simply shrugs his shoulders as if it doesn’t concern him in the least before turning his body and starts walking toward the kafra company agent with the Acolyte girl following close behind.

A brief conversation with the agent and paid their fees, both of them soon finds themselves teleported to Payon city. They spend some time to resupply themselves with potions and other necessities before heading toward Payon Cave. Right before they enter the cave, Ryuu turns to the acolyte, “Are you ready?” 

At which the acolyte nods enthusiastically, “Of course. Let’s do this.” Seemingly satisfied with the response, Ryuu turns back and starts making his way into the cave, leaving the acolyte to catch up.

SCENE BREAK. TIME JUMP: ONE WEEK

A pair of Acolyte and Thief is sitting near the entrance to the third area of Payon cave, both of them are covered head to toe in soot, dirt and sweat. They had spent the last week training inside the cave with each other as company, the acolyte healing and supporting the thief while he beats up those zombies and skeletons infesting the cave interior. Once in a while they also got help from other adventurers but most of the time sees them spending the entire time by themselves.

The acolyte is holding a half drained grape juice between her hands before speaking, “Wew, has it really only been a week since we’ve been here? Sure feels much longer than that….” 

The thief simply nods silently in agreement; he has never been a talkative or even social person and sincerely doubt that he ever will though those who knows him well enough will be able to tell his mood by his gesture and body language, the acolyte beside him happen to be one of them.

Finally, the acolyte stands up from her position and dusts her skirt before turning to the thief-boy, “Let’s continue a bit longer then go back to Prontera? I need to report that we’ve finished the quest and maybe picks up a new one, I really want to be promoted as Priestess soon.” 

For a moment, the girl’s eyes seem to sparkle with inner light as she imagines herself in the future being the class which has long since been the universal symbol of grace and purity in Rune Midgard.

Ryuu silent shakes his head and rolls his eyes at the girl, obviously already used to such reaction from the blonde. Instead, he replies to her, “I can’t go back to Prontera with you this time, I got a summon message from the thief headquarter near the old Morroc city. We will have to split up here for now; you know how to contact me.” 

The acolyte pouts slightly at his refusal to accompany her but inwardly understands that there is nothing that her or her friend can do about it, summons from headquarter are absolute regardless of which class. It can range from something as good as “Promotion” or as terrible as “Judgement”.

Finally, the blonde resigns herself to having to travel back to Prontera by herself as she turns to her teammate, “Well, let’s go back to Payon?” She fishes a blue colored gemstone from the item back and chants her spell before smashing the item to the floor as she shouts the skill name, “Warp Portal!” 

For a moment, nothing happens which causes the acolyte to sweat as she fears that she has gone over her head in trying the new spell. Soon, the shattered gemstone pieces glows before a white portal appears at the location where it impacts the cave floor causing the girl to lets out a relieved sigh. She grins as she turns to her partner who simply raises his eyebrows before entering the portal and vanishes, the acolyte following right behind him and closing the portal at the same time.

The two youngsters appear with a beam of light in the middle of Payon city before heading straight to the Kafra employee. As before, Ryuu speaks to the dark haired woman first and paid for the fee before vanishing from view as he is teleported to his destination. 

The girl approaches the woman next with her request to teleport to Prontera which causes the woman to frown apologetically, “I’m sorry but currently all Kafra service to teleport to Prontera is not available. We’re still in the process of re-designing and improving on the service in order to re-establish that route once again. We apologize for the inconvenience.”

The acolyte raises her eyebrows in confusion; this is news to her as there always been a teleport route to Prontera. Gingerly, she asks the woman once again, “What about Izlude? Can you teleport me over there?” 

The woman nods once as she replies, “Izlude is available, would you like to be teleported there?” The girl lets out a breath that she doesn’t realize has been holding inside and confirms her decision to teleport to Izlude as well as paying the fee.

Soon, she finds herself in the middle of the satellite city of Prontera and immediately spots something unusual around her. Though Izlude is by no means a quiet town, quite the opposite in fact, what with it being the home of the Swordman Guild Headquarter AND the only way for anyone to access the Bibilan Dungeon Island. However, today the city seems exceptionally bustling with activities almost as if there is a festival happening there.

The blonde swims through the crowd until she reaches the city’s exit that is connected to the field that will allow her to make her way to Prontera. Though she knows it’s quite unlikely, the acolyte actually expects her way to be barred by monsters who will be getting in her way to Prontera yet once she exits the city, she realize that it has been nothing but product of her over-imaginative mind. 

The field before her has no difference with how it has always been: Poring and Lunatics hopping around, Novices that chase them around with their knife hoping to teach those monsters who’s the boss and veteran warriors training those very same novices on how to fight.

Casting speed buff spell on herself, the 10 years old makes her way toward Prontera as fast as her short legs capable of carrying her. As soon as she reaches the gate of the city, the acolyte finds herself blocked from entering by a pair of soldiers in brown armors holding spear that is as tall as they are. 

Before she manages to ask for the reason, one of them gives her says in monotone, “By order of King Tristan the III, you are required to remove everything on your body in order to enter the city."

The ten years old acolyte's eyes widen in disbelief, surely the guard was joking... taking off her clothes? All of them? IN PUBLIC? She is an Acolyte for God's sake.... Unfortunately, the guard's unchanging expression immediately dashes her thought of it being a cruel joke on her. 

Immediately, the blonde shakes her head before stepping away from the gate as sign that she has changed her mind about entering the city.

After a few steps backward, the acolyte turns her body before running away toward the opposite direction of the gate. She continues running until she reaches a familiar field where all around her are the jelly-like monsters variant of poring. The field is one of the more well known place for neophyte adventurers. It’s so popular in fact due to its curious monster population that people has taken to call it "Poring Land".

She lets out a sigh as she sits on one of the boulder with her chin resting on her palm with her elbow on her legs, ‘What is happening since I left the city… Did the king seriously give the order that everyone has to be naked before entering the city?’ 

The girl cannot help but blush as she imagines herself walking through the capital in her birthday suit with everyone around looking at her, the embarrassment she would be unbearable for sure.

She continues to muse about the situation until she is interrupted by someone tapping her on the shoulder. The blonde turns her head in surprise and sees a female with shoulder-length dark brown hair next to her wearing purple priestess robe, “Hello, sorry to startle you like that. You look like you’re having a big problem, maybe I can help?” 

The acolyte blushes at being caught so off guard before replying with a stutter, “Ah… umm… sorry to make you worry. It’s not a big deal… I think….”

The priestess smiles gently at her before sitting next to her, “Well, that “I think” doesn’t sound very comforting. If you tell me about it, maybe I can help with it?” 

The Acolyte blush deeper before replying, “Well… umm… it’s just… I’ve just got home from training at Payon cave with a friend and been trying to reach Prontera but….”

The priestess nods sagely before interrupting, “I see… I guess you don’t know about the new law, do you?”

The Acolyte turns at the priestess with questioning look as she speaks again, “New law?” 

The priestess nods once before answering, “A few days ago, the king had passed a new law regarding… well… clothing… or lack of it if that is how you want to see it. You see, apparently our king decided that banning any form of clothing in the city will fix the continuous rise in crime rate."

The priestess pauses for a moment to let the acolyte process the unbelievable news before continuing once again, Long story short, since then, anyone who wishes to enter Prontera has to surrender all their possession to the guard who will safekeep it until the owner decides to get out of the city.”

The woman turns her face toward the acolyte’s dumbfounded expression complete with her jaw hanging in disbelief before giving her coup de grace with grim expression, “Yes, that also applies to people of the church like us.” 

The acolyte shakes her head repeatedly and hit the sides of her head to make sure that she is hearing correctly before answering, “But… I don’t think that… I mean… REALLY? That means I have to… walk through the city… naked?”

Thr priestess gives the 10 years old a rueful smile before replying back, “Well… if you really want towalk pass that gate….” 

She stands up and fishes a blue colored gem from her bag, “There is however, a way to get around it… Kafra Co. might decide to follow that law but… our church decided that such law demeans people of cloth like we are and the Gods who bless us. Therefore there is a little bit of rebellion between the church and the government at the moment.”

The priestess chants a short spell before smashing the gem to the ground. Soon enough, a glowing portal bursts open at the impact point as the priestess turns once again to the acolyte with a smile, “If you enter the portal, you can teleport straight into the church hall. Once you’re inside, the guards won’t be able to touch you. I suggest that you make a warp point for yourself the moment you arrive, it doesn’t look like the situation will be fixed anytime soon as both sides of the conflict refuse to yield an inch.”

The acolyte nods once and bows to the priestess who waves back in return as she speaks, “By the way my name is Gracia Magdalena, what’s your name?” The acolyte gives her a thankful smile as she replies, “Melisa, my name is Melisa Artemis. Thank you very much for your help.” She steps into the portal and soon vanishes from view, leaving the priestess by herself.


	3. Heaven Descends

A few years had gone by since the start of the feud between the church and the Pronteras Royalty… and it hadn’t cool down one bit. The tension inside the city was so thick that one can almost taste it. There had been rumors of possible rebellion and open fight between the two powers yet so far it had been unfounded at best as not so much of a fist had been raised by either side. Ironically, the areas outside of the city had become pretty much a safety area for people who wanted to get away from the rising tension.

Like the other members of the church, Melisa had taken into habit to using portal to go back and forth between the city and outside. She had seen what happened when one of them had carelessly stepped out of the building before he was practically grabbed by the guards right out of the door and taken into custody.

The guards literally brought him before the king and forced him to strip right then and there before a releasing him with only a fine. Fortunately, based on his retelling, it seemed that little else was done other than the heavy fine levied against him which was basically more of an annoyance than anything else. A “carrot and stick approach” as the experts called it.

However, despite the seemingly equal opposition on both side, the acolyte was able to see that the church was losing ground, fast. The policy practically spread around the major cities around Rune Midgard, first to Izlude, then Payon, Aldebaran, even all the way to Morroc and one by one, all of them incorporate the same law. Yet, the church was far from ready to admit defeat.

If anything the church hardened their stance by declaring that they would stop supplying anymore jobs related to them. The threat was not a small one with the church supplying not only producing adventurers but also military and support jobs such as doctors and nurses, exorcists and many others, the loss of their support could mean crippling the Pronteran army. In fact, even the acolyte herself experienced the impact as despite her mastery of her class, she hadn’t been promoted to priestesshood which caused a strain to her own growth.

The problem was that being promoted to priestess was more than simple change of clothes, it signified greater acceptance of God and with it, their blessings. The method of promotion had been a greatly kept secret that not even those who had been promoted was allowed to speak of it. While acolyte was able to perform some aspect of the more advanced job, they were still significantly lacking in comparison and it also limited them in taking more advanced quests.

On the other hand, the lack of advance classes associated with the church mean that there were severe lack of force to handle the creatures of darkness and evil origin especially in the dungeons. The most obvious was Glast Heim which basically was now overrun with monsters which continuously grew in number as no one dared to go inside without the support of classes who specialize in dealing with them. In fact, the dark creatures from the dungeons had started to spill to other areas which would potentially cause disaster of unspoken proportion if left alone for much longer.

The blonde acolyte let out a sigh of trepidation as she took a break from her training as another skeleton soldier crumbled under her healing spell. Like the others she had found herself confined to basically training on the less that challenging places but with little other choice, she simply had to take what she could get. Neither had she heard from her training partner since they separated years ago which by itself were unusual but she decided to believe in him but the lack of his presence means further reduction of possible choice to train.

By now, even the Soldier skeletons and the Skeleton archers in Payon cave barely pose a threat to her anymore with them crumbling under one or two spells… yet she didn’t dare go further into the dungeon as the Bongun and Munaks tend to give her significant trouble. Another sigh escaped her lips as the now 14 years old acolyte silently prayed to the Gods, ‘Please… help us… at this rate I’d be a 20 years old Acolyte… to think that the average age for priesthood promotion was 15….’

The blonde knew that she was praying to the God and that they truly exist if her magic’s existence was any indication… but NEVER in her life expected them to literally came down or that it would happen to fast. To be fair, it wasn’t one of the primary major Gods who descended but it was pretty damn close….

It happened a week after her little player and she had been in the church as one of her job as Acolyte was to serve as helping hand during mass. It had started as a regular mass if not rather few in attendant but the people who had been in support of the church’s stance on the law did exist and there weren’t few in number. It was during the bible reading section when something absolutely extraordinary happened.

The first indication of the out of ordinary event was when a child, couldn’t possibly be more than 5 years old pulled on her mother’s dress while pointing toward the statue of the Lord at foremost of the church. At first, the mother had been ready to scold him for disturbing the mass… until she saw that very same marble statue and noticed a something peculiar about it. Once by one, everyone in the immediate vicinity turned toward the same statue and gasped at the view before them… the statue was glowing and increasingly became brighter as if the more number of people noticing it caused it to increase in brightness.

Suddenly, the beautiful sound of choir resounded in the mass hall yet not a single person in attendance was singing or even possesses the ability to sing in such heavenly voice. From the stained glass above the statue, light shone through into the center of the altar before a figure appeared in it. At first, the figure were barely visible but gradually became clearer until everyone in the church were able to made out her figure.

The mystical being was obviously a female with humanoid form yet possess unequalled beauty and the fact that she had not a single form of covering on her body serve only to drive that fact home. She had bright blonde hair that reached to the middle of her back which seemed to glitter with particles of light as it danced as if blown by a wind that only she was able to feel. A pair of green eyes as bright as the finest of emerald yet shone with inner fire as if challenging anyone who dared to cross her. Her skin were white but not pale, instead it seemed to glow with radiance. Even her hourglass figure with slim stomach and hips that any woman would kill for screamed divinity. Most importantly however, a pair of pure white wings on her back that spanned a few meters from one end to another.

Everyone in the hall waited with bated breath as they felt more than see that they were in presence of a being who belonged to higher plane of existence. Soon enough, the female form finally looked completely corporeal yet her feet never touched the ground as her wings kept her afloat and out of reach as she spoke in bell-like voice that seemed to echo around the spacious room yet, “Greeting humans of Rune Midgard. I am Valkyrie Lenneth and I am here to bring you a decree from the Ruler of Valhalla, God and Father, Odin.”

At once, everyone in the mass hall fell to their knees with their hands clasped in front of them as if praying. The woman seemingly satisfied with their action continued, “The Gods had heard your prayer and saw the situation. This was what our Lords had decided…” She raised her arms high above her head with open palms position as if she was holding something.

A spherical light appeared at the space between her palms as she spoke, “The Gods has approved and applauded the decision of King Tristan III of Rune Midgard Kingdom. Lord Odin himself has decreed that state of complete nudity was not an act of heresy against the church. Instead, it is an act of complete purity as it proved that the person had accepted everything about his self and therefore has nothing to hide from anyone. Therefore, as example to follow by the others, every clergy members had to be in state of complete nudity from now on as long as suitable condition was met. So our Lord had spoken, let His will be done!”

With her tone of finality, the light between her arms expanded in size and brightness, forcing everyone inside the hall to close or turned her eyes away from it. Soon enough, the light filled the entire hall and overflowed, making as if there was an explosion inside. As soon as the light came, it disappeared as one by one the people in the building opened their eyes and found that the Valkyrie had disappeared along with the light. More shocking however, was when they looked on their selves and found that all of them were completely naked regardless of age, gender or occupation.

Panic set into the people as all of them tried to cover themselves with whatever they could get their hands on. However, a booming voice resounding through the room made them stop whatever they were doing as they turned toward the source. An elderly man exuding charismatic aura climbed unto the podium as he spoke authoratively, “The God has spoken, He personally ordered us to follow the law. Who are us to disobey? His messenger barely left us not even seconds ago yet you already forgot his message. Stop trying to cover yourself right now as he has deemed it to be sacrilegious. Instead, prove your faith by following his words.”

Everyone in the church looks to each other at the High Cardinal’s words and one by one, they lowered their arms and dropped whatever items they were holding to cover their body. Once every single person no longer covering their bodies, the High Cardinal smiled as he spoke once again, “Open the door, there is no more need to bar anyone from following the God’s teaching. Instead, let us spread the word of out King’s wisdom which Odin himself has approved.” Smiles rose on the believer’s lips as they went toward the church’s main door and lifted the barricade before pushing the double door open. The cold war between them has ended and a new age has come.


	4. Promotion

Chapter 4: Promotion

A week had passed since the event of Valhalla’s messenger descended on earth. Life in Prontera had largely settled down, peace had settled and crime rate remained at an all-time low and businesses were booming. Not all the problems had been solved however; in fact, Prontera church was now experiencing a different kind of problem.

It turned out that due to the years of not a single promotion happened in the church related jobs, there was now a sudden massive influx of them. The high priest and bishops were so busy in selecting and promoting the ones who were ready that they issued an appointment date for it. Those who had excelled more than their peers would be promoted earlier while the ones who were average or below would have to wait for their turn. The waiting list unfortunately had stretch up to a few months wait, even for those who were above average level. Still, there were not many complain about it, compared to the 3 years wait, a few months would be a breeze.

Today, a familiar girl with blonde hair stood in a line of swordsmen and fellow acolytes as they waited in front of the altar. The church had sent a letter to her the day before to show up today in order to be promoted. She couldn’t help but feel ecstatic about it, as mentioned; the sooner she got promoted means the more exemplary she was in her duty. A week wait mean that she was very VERY good and that knowledge made her very happy.

The only sour note in her day was nothing other than the line she was currently in. It was a really long line stretching from the altar all the way to the back of the church, though she wasn’t the last one but she was definitely wasn’t near the front either. Unfortunately, it seemed that promotion was an individual and slow process, meaning that she had a long wait in front of her anyway… and she couldn’t risk walking out either… at best someone would take her place and at worst she’d end up in the waiting list again. she REALLY want to be promoted ASAP.

As she watched the promotion ceremonies, she noticed that each time the bishop would put his hand on the person’s forehead. He would then do a brief chant and light appeared on the spot of contact for a moment, some longer than others before finally it recede and the person would be asked to enter one of the side doors. 

There were also some who apparently wasn’t quite qualified as instead of being told to enter one of the rooms, they would walk back down the hall and out of the church. Unfortunately, she couldn’t make out what was the basis for the qualification… she could only wish she was good enough.

After a long wait, Melisa finally found herself finding before the bishop, an old man in the ripe age of 75 yet somehow still retain trace of his blonde hair and beard with the name Father Thomas. As she stood in front of him, the bishop smiled as he greeted her, “How are you my child? Are you ready for your job promotion?”

The girl nodded once as she answered, “to be honest, father… I am not sure… but I would like to believe that I am as ready as I can be.”

Her answer obviously pleased the old man as he smiled gently, “Humble as always, Melisa. Very well, let us start….” Like the ones before her, he put a palm on her forehead and she felt a warm magic power washed into her. It spread into her being before disappearing as the bishop lifted his hand away, “Incredible… You have great potential within you, my child. Make you way to the door on you right and find Father Peter for your next test. May God be with you, my child.”

The blonde acolyte heaved a sigh of relief before a bright smile bloomed on her face as she nodded as she headed for the door on the right side. As she entered through the door, she found herself inside a dimly lit room. Curiously, there was no sign of the people who entered before her despite that there was only one way in and out of the room. Still, she quickly found the monk known as Father Peter and approached him, “Excuse me, Father Peter. Father Thomas sent me here for the next test.”

The bald monk turned toward the smaller acolyte before speaking, “Ahh, is that so? Very well, in this test you will have to face several enemies. Are you sure your heart is ready?” Melisa tilted her head to the side slightly as she tried to make sense of the monk’s statement.

Finally she answered, “I am not sure if I am strong enough to face them but… if it is my heart, then I am ready.”

The monk nodded once as he spoke once again, “Very well...” He took a blue gemstone from the box next to him before throwing it to the center of the room and a warp portal appeared at the spot of contact.

He turned back to the acolyte as he spoke again, "Well? Enter the portal already, I haven't got all day."

The smaller acolyte immediately went into the portal to be teleported toward the testing area.

Melisa opened her eyes and found herself in a relatively dark room, not enough to completely blind her but enough to impair her vision somewhat. She heard a familiar shuffling sound around her as if there were people walking by pulling their legs unsteadily. It was a sound that was quite familiar for her who had been training in Payon cave, allowing her to easily identify the identity of the sound origin, ‘Zombies? More than one it seems….’

Suddenly, the acolyte heard the familiar voice of Father Peter spoke directly to her mind, “In this test, you will be facing 3 trials: Might, Heart and Spirit. This room is the first one, Trial of Might. You are to defeat the enemies around you, physical or magic doesn’t matter.”

The acolyte nodded once though she wasn’t sure if the monk could see her or not before preparing to face the small horde of undead.

Normally, zombies were not something that would threaten her even in large number. As a support based acolyte, she could kill them with a single healing spell. However, her condition currently was far from normal. For one, the most obvious thing was that she had been sent to the room completely naked meaning that she had none of her defensive gear, her shield, robe, or even her shoes. Therefore, a hit from the zombie would fall directly to her skin and flesh. 

Naturally, she also wasn’t in possession of her magic staff, the tool that served as her magic focus and amplified her magic power. Without it, she would cast slower and far less powerful. At worst, she might not be able to down the undeads fast enough and found herself overrun by them. Lastly and probably most critical of all the above, the room was significantly smaller than the cave. She approximated that the room was 20 meters by 20 meters square at most which significantly cut her room to maneuver around the zombies.

The blonde acolyte took a breath as she steeled herself, ‘I don’t know for sure how many of them are… but it doesn’t seem like more than 15 or 20. At least the zombies are slow… and single-mindedly dumb. I need to take advantage of that… first….’ She clasped her hands in front of her chest as she casted buffs on herself, Blessing would allow help her casting power, while Agility enforcement allow her to move faster, finally Angelus allows her a form of magical protection, not enough to completely immune but it would minimize it.

She heard the shuffling sound approached closer to her position and immediately moved from her location. Suddenly, a zombie stood in front of her and instinctively, the girl casted a healing spell on it. The holy spell burned like acid on the undead as it let out a wail but did not fall down. Taking the chance, she casted the same magic once again on it and this time, the creature burned before finally collapsing into a heap of ectoplasm.

Taking the opening that the zombie made, the acolyte slipped through the horde of zombies. Taking careful count, the noticed that her guess had been spot on, there was 15 zombies and she had felled one of them. The rest turned toward her but their slow movement allowed her to fell two more of them as she made her way to relative safe distance. 

Using the same hit and run tactic, Melisa continued to take down the zombie one by one until she finally managed to take care of all of them. Unfortunately, at the same time, her mana was nearly completely empty and not used to prolonged physical activity as she was, her stamina was in their limit too. Suddenly, the same voice of Father Peter entered her mind once again as he spoke, “Trial of Might, passed…” A warp portal appeared in the middle of the room she was in as the man implored her to enter.

She passed through the warp and found herself inside a dark cave, the voice of Father Peter spoke again, “This is trial of Heart. As the name imply, this place will test your will as you make your way to the exit. I have to warn you, most of the people who failed before you had failed in this room. If you wish to go back, speak now and I shall teleport you back here.”

Melisa shook her head as she answered, “I wish to proceed.” She waited for confirmation yet only silence answered her. Assuming that the man heard her anyway, she started to make her way forward. 

After walking for a while, she saw a small dark silhouette in front of her. Approaching the creature, she noticed that it was a black monster with plump round body and black wings behind it as it held a black three-pronged spear. The creature noticed her approaching and spoke to her, “Halt, another one trying for the promotion hmm? Just give up, you don’t have the talent for it.”

The blonde shook her head as she answered, “I may or may not have the talent but if I don’t try then I’ve already lost against myself.”

The blonde walked pass the deviruchi and continued down the darkness before she saw another shillouete, this time much taller than the deviruchi and humanoid in look. As she neared, she noticed it was a swordsman holding his injured arm and various wounds marked his physique.

The swordman spoke to her as he limped, “Turn back, it’s a trap. A great demon was waiting at the end of this path, I barely managed to escape. You should too before it’s too late….” The swordsman collapsed from his injury before her as if to show her that he was telling the truth.

Melisa kneeled before him and put her finger on his throat as she checked for pulse. Finding none, she offered a prayer to him before standing up and looks past him toward the direction he came from. She took a deep breath before speaking, “If there is a fight against the demon... then it is even more reason for me to continue on. I can’t let them to fight by themselves when I can help even the odd even just a little.”

She walked past the man’s body and continued forward. Behind her, the man’s corpse turned into a black mist before disappearing altogether.

As she continued forward, she finally saw the great demon that the person told her about, it was a massive brown and orange goat-like creature, its curly horn looked sharp enough to skewer her, finally its huge black scythe seem sharp enough to cut her into pieces. She had heard of tales of the creature, said to be the symbolic ruler of hell and prime evil, the Great Goat Demon, Baphomet. Behind the creature, she could make out the shape of the exit from the cave.

For a moment, the sheer size of the creature intimidated her but the blonde pressed on regardless. As expected, the demon moved to get in her way however she didn’t expect that the creature choose to speak instead, “Why did you continue on? What has the Gods gave you? Big fat nothing, that’s what. Turn to the darkness, be my servant, swear your loyalty to me and I shall grant you eternal pleasure.” As if to emphasize his offer, a great erection grew between his legs.

Melisa shook her head, “Gods granted me life, sun over my head, earth under my feet, water to quench my thirst, food for me to eat and most important of all, they grant me heart capable of love.” Her eyes sharpen as she glared at the demon, “Begone demon, you will never claim my soul!”

The Baphomet roared in indignation as it swung its scythe yet moments before even the tip of the weapon touched her skin, it burst into black smoke and disappeared. The voice of Father Peter spoke to her once again, “Trial of Heart, Passed.” before another warp portal appeared not far from her.

This time, the acolyte found herself inside a narrow hallway lit by torches along the walls. Suddenly, a gate opened at the other side of the room and several shambling humanoid shapes covered in bandages came out of it, mummies.

The mummies stepped out of the gate and walked toward her as the monk’s voice talked to her once again, “This is the final trial, Trial of Purity. In order to pass, you have to reach the other end of the room through these mummies, WITHOUT harming them.”

The acolyte started to panic, mummies were a whole different level of undead compared to the zombies before. Their strength and stamina was a whole other level that even a veteran would be in trouble in they were attacked in hordes. They would easily knock down and knock her out if they reached her. Worse still, there was even less room for her to maneuver in the narrow hallway that it was in the dark room.

As the acolyte tried to find a way to clear the test yet finding none, a voice appeared in her mind, an unfamiliar female voice yet somehow it resounded in her heart, “Listen… just listen to them, child…. Hear their plea.”

Melisa looked around for the source of the sound but came out with none as she answered, “Listen? But… they don’t even speak….”

She sensed that the owner of the voice seem to shook her head despite not able to see her as she spoke, "Listen not with your ears... but with your heart, My child.... Close your eyes and let your heart open your path, my child.”

Melisa wasn’t sure why but she felt that she could trust the woman in her mind. Slowly, she closed her eyes until she could see nothing but darkness. The woman’s voice spoke once again gently as if guiding her, “Sense it, the poor souls of these people, trapped in the undead flesh… open your heart... and you shall hear their soul. Hear their cries... answer them… what they wish for… if it is you, you can certainly fulfill it.”

The blonde was confused but suddenly, she could see it, pale balls of light before her. She could hear them, unclear but certainly there as they spoke to her. Unbeknownst to her, tear fell down from her eyes as she listened to them. Their pleas touched her heart as she knew that there was no was that she could ignore their suffering. Finally, she opened her eyes and clasped her hands in front of her chest as she spoke to the undead, “I understand… your wishes; I have certainly heard them… Rest in peace… Heal!”

This time, the acolyte felt an unfamiliar yet familiarly warm surge of magic pour out from her heart to her arms down to her clasped hands. Magic power stronger than she ever produced before poured out of her body as she directed it toward the nearest mummy. The undead opened its mouth as if to scream yet nothing came out of it before a white flame burnt its flesh body to ash, leaving only the bandage covering it.

A pale blue orb floated above it for a moment before transforming into a shadow of a man, he smiled at her and mouthed out “thank you” before disappearing. Unlike her previous magic, she didn't heal the undead's flesh and bones but reached much deeper. She had healed the undead's soul and allowed them to pass on.

The blonde turned her attention to the remaining mummies and as before casted the same holy magic unto each of them. Each time the undead fell, the soul thanked her before vanishing to heaven. Once all of them were gone, she made her way toward the gate where the mummies had entered from without further obstacle. As she passed the doorway, Father Peter’s voice could be heard once again, “Trial of Spirit, Passed.”

Suddenly, the acolyte found herself standing before a Sister of the church. It seemed that the exit had led her down to a portal that transported her straight to her current location. The woman turned toward her as she spoke, her tone was cold and strict, “Congratulation on passing the second test. I am Sister Cecilee and I will be conducting your final test… In order to pass, you have to give me the answer to 1 question: What is the true nature of Priestess?”

The blonde took a deep breath as she pondered the question, many answers crossed her mind but she knew in her heart that most of them were incorrect. Not that they were unsuitable answer but none of them were the answer that she knew to be right. After a while, she finally lifted her face as she looked at the older woman straight in the eyes, “Servitude… the nature of priestess is that of servitude. Servitude toward Gods, Servitude toward others and Servitude toward one’s own self. As long as I live, there will be no greater joy than to serve with all my body, heart and soul."

The older nun’s narrowed her eyes as she spoke harshly, “Are you sure of that? So you’re saying that we existed to please others?”

Melisa nod her head once as she replied, “Yes.”

If anything, the acolyte’s answer seemed to only serve to fuel the nun’s anger as her fists shook as if she was holding back a great anger, “You’re telling me that we, the class known to be holy servant of God, existed to let others step on us? To throw away our pride, bend over and wag our “tail” for another’s sake?”

The woman looked at the younger acolyte right in the eye as if daring her, challenging her even, to give the same answer once again. However, the acolyte’s stance on the topic hadn’t moved one bit as she firmly answered once again, “Yes. There will be no greater pride and joy than to be able to devote oneselves in its entirety to a worthy one.”

The sister’s fist started to glow with magic power as she asked one last time, “Is that… your final answer? Know that this would be your last chance to change you answer….”

The acolyte shook her head firmly as she answered one last time, “No, I won’t change my answer no matter how many times I will be asked.”

The nun suddenly threw her arm forward toward the acolyte with her glowing palm opened. The bright white light of the magic power caused the blonde to instinctively shut her eyes. However, only the light that blinded her caused her to react, there was no fear for the should be accompanying pain that should have been there had she really been attacked. In fact, once she sensed that the light had disappeared, she detected only silence around her.

Slowly opening her eyes, Melisa found herself had been transported to an unfamiliar dark room with the priests and nuns who oversaw the priestess test surrounding her. The first clapping came from the eldest of them, Father Thomas, who had a gentle smile as he looked at her with pride.

On cue, the other priests and nuns also started clapping, even Sister Cecile who no longer look harsh or cold but warm and gentle like a mother would. Along with the clapping, words of congratulations were also thrown at her that the only one confused in the room was the one they were congratulating.

The blonde turned toward Sister Cecile for answer, clearly looking confused as she was sure that she had failed the last test. The nun stopped her clapping which the others soon follow and a giggle escaped her, clearly amused at how the acolyte act, before finally she spoke, “Confused, my dear? I bet you thought you’d failed my test, didn’t you?”

Melisa wordlessly nod once, clearly too confused to even speak which just served to amuse the older woman even more as she explained, “Well, I am the best actor among us.... No, my dear… your answer wasn’t wrong in the slightest. In fact, it was the most perfect answer to that question that I had ever heard in my 20 years of conducting this test.”

The woman raised her face slightly before pointing toward her own neck. Even in the darkness the acolyte could see the strap wrapped tightly around the woman’s neck as the nun continued, “This wasn’t just some nonsense accessory, my dear. It was mark of someone who had chosen to devote themselves to serving others. We, priestesses, DO exist to serve others and there should never be any other way for those who walked the path of priestesshood." 

The priestess gaze sharpen for a moment as she continues, "That is not to say that we would serve just anyone who came across our path, we would be no better than a slut. Even we need to have a standard we must never surrender but the fact remains that we live to serve. When you find someone worthy of your absolute obedience, then you would have achieved the ultimate happiness.”

Melisa nodded in understanding, in short, the nun's intimidating attitude had been part of the test. Fact was that had she doubted her conviction and changed her answer, the nun would have failed her on the spot. By showing her resolve and standing her ground, the acolyte had proven that she truly possessed the heart and will of a true priestess. It all makes sense to her so she could easily accept the explanation.

Seeing that the blonde was satisfied with the explanation, Father Thomas clapped several times as he spoke to the rest, “Well, with that out of the way, I think it is about time that we do the ritual. I believe our little disciple here is already anxious if she would finally able to cast her first Sanctuary.” This time, his words were greeted by laughter from the other adults and a blush from the blonde acolyte but the adults soon agreed as they clasp their hands in front of their chests.

Now that she thought about it, somehow she had been standing in the middle of a magic circle and surrounded by the adults. Father Thomas in front of her obviously leading the proceeding, Father Peter on her left and finally Sister Cecile on her right while the spot behind her had been left empty. The three adults started chanting, first softly but gradually grew louder. Their clasped hands also started to glow and like their voice, it continuously grew stronger. Suddenly, the blonde felt another presence behind her where there hadn’t been anyone before but something told her that she shouldn't turn to look.

The magic circle below her feet glowed bright white as it slowly rose from the floor. The magic circle passed her feet, hips and chest before stopping above her shoulder. She noticed that the area of her body where the magic circles passed tingled with somewhat ticklish sensation as if there were countless feathers touching them. Once it was around her neck, the circle began to shrink rapidly until it was small enough to fit around her neck as if she were wearing a collar made of light.

Finally, The light seemed to condense around her neck for a while before finally vanishing, leaving a white band around her neck along with a golden diamond shaped tag dangling on it. Curiously, there was no connecting link anywhere on the collar, making it impossible to take off short of cutting it off, though something told her it would be a harder feat that it seemed.

The collar glowed briefly and Melisa found all strength left her legs as she fell on her butt like a marionette with its strings cut. She tried to get up once again but found her legs completely uncooperative as she was unable to put any strength under it. She could move and feel them just fine yet whenever she tried to put effort to get up, her legs continually refused no matter how many times.

Suddenly, the blonde felt a hand on her right shoulder and turned her head toward the direction to find Sister Cecile next to her. The woman had left her spot and now on her hands and knees, at her previous spot was a stool which she had apparently used to prop herself up during the ceremony. The woman smiled as she spoke at her, "Don't be alarmed, dear. This is how we are supposed to be, you of all people should know it yourself that this is our natural position."

She pointed toward the identical collar on her own neck as she continued, "These collar of ours are the Lord's way to remind us to always be humble and ready to serve. While it used to only effective while we are in the private part of the church but with the recent happening, God saw fit for us to remain like this whenever we are inside his church."

The new priestess nodded as she accepted the explanation, if this was God’s will then who was she to complain. She pushed her body forward as she copied the older woman’s posture on her hands and knees. The blonde couldn’t help but blush as she realized that the position caused her womanhood and breasts to be completely visible. Reacting to her embarrassment, she instinctively pulled her legs and arms closer as she tried to make them less conspicuous.

A palm landing gently on her cheek stopped the blonde from continuing as the owner of said hand spoke to her, the nun had pulled herself to a sitting position in front of her, “No, my child. Don’t hide your body as there is nothing that you should be ashamed of….”

The woman removed her hand from the girl’s cheek before placing them on her arms before pulling them further apart from each other, causing her breasts to become much more visible as they hung freely below her. Once her arms were satisfactorily spaced apart, the older woman slipped her arms between them before catching the young priestess’ nipples between her thumb and index fingers.

The blonde couldn’t help but moaned as the older woman began to tickle and pinch on her sensitive nubs while speaking, “…If anything, you should show them with pride, let everyone see your devotion and readiness to serve.”

Once those nipples were suitably hardened, Sister Cecile released them before moving behind her. Melisa couldn’t help but blush deep red as she felt the older nun’s fingers slipped between her legs much closer to her womanhood that she expected them to before the woman pushed them gently as she pried her legs open. With every inch opened on her lower half, the new priestess felt her blush deepening yet she didn’t fight the woman’s pressure as she continued to alter her legs position.

Finally, the blonde’s legs had apparently been spread wide enough to suit the older woman’s taste. Her eyes widened as she suddenly felt a pair of fingers on her lower lips as they spread it open. Before she managed to comment on it, a loud moan escaped the young priestess’ upper lips as she felt a blow of wind entered her womanhood. Sister Cecile blew into her hole several more times, eliciting more moans from the blonde until her womanhood began to excrete clear and sticky liquid copiously before releasing it.

That was when the recently promoted priestess realized a peculiarity. Although her legs had been spread wide enough for her knees to be as wide as her shoulders, she didn’t get the uncomfortable feeling that should have came with it. In fact, she felt strangely comfortable with the position as if she was born to be in that pose.

Sister Cecile crawled back in front of her and smiled brightly as she spoke, “Felt better than you thought, right? Don’t worry, now that you’ve experienced it, you’d be able to assume this position and state yourself naturally. In fact, I think you’d eventually be able to please yourself just from being watched but I think you’d need a few more years for that. Well, this is the end of our last guidance as your senior. The moment you exit this room, we will be standing in the same position.”

The woman crawled back to her position where she had been during the ceremony before a clapping sound caught the girl’s attention as she turned toward the source and saw Father Thomas clapping as he spoke to everyone present, “Well, with this the promotion test for our new young priestess is completed…” 

His eyes then turned straight toward the new priestess as he spoke once again, “Congratulation on your successful promotion, Priestess Melisa Artemis. I hope that you shall serve your future duties with both pride and humility in the name of our Lord.” As the old wizened man finished his speech, Melisa found herself feeling drowsy. Her eyes felt heavy and her body refused to follow her order as she felt herself collapsing to the floor before darkness claimed her.

PRESENT DAY

The priestess slowly opens her eyes before slowly pulls her upper body from the mattress she had fallen asleep on. She yawns once and rubs her eyes with the back of her hand to clear it before looking around her seemingly still half-asleep. The sight of her small room greets her along with the few and modest furniture inside. She pushes her body up from the bed as she assumes her usual all four position before stretching her body a few times to remove the kinks associated with staying in the same position for prolonged period.

Finally, she grabs a small white towel from the stack not far from her sleeping spot and threw it over her shoulder before heading toward the door , obviously heading toward the bathing area. As she walks out of the door, the priestess couldn’t help but wonder, ‘I wonder what I was dreaming of… I can’t remember it but… it feels… nostalgic.”


	5. Chapter 5: Reunion

Chapter 5: Reunion

Inside the wide communal bathroom inside the church’s inner sanctum, a lone blonde priestess was sitting inside the normally crowded large shared bathtub of hot water, completely relaxed. It has been roughly a week since she got back to the church and she had spent the entire week mostly resting other than daily routine of priestly duty. Suddenly, the collar on her neck glowed as an announcement resounded in her head, “A summon for priestess Melisa Artemis, please make your way to the office of Father Thomas as soon as possible. I repeat…”

The female immediately made her way to the edge of the tub before pushing herself out of the water. Having stayed inside the hot water for a while, her normally white skin was flushed pink and glistened with the water sticking on it. Once she exited the tub completely, she pushed herself unto her hands and knees before crawling across the bathroom where she had hung her towel. Using the soft fabric to dry herself as much as possible, she then deposited it into the box near the door of the bathroom where it would be collected, washed and dried by those on duty.

The blonde finally exited the bathroom area, still on all four as she made her way toward the administration wing on the other side of the building. During her trip down the halls, she passed several other priests and priestesses, all of them as naked as her, who greeted her and vice versa. Finally, she reached the administration quarter and immediately scanned the name plates on each door until she found one with “Ft. Thomas, Head of HR department” on it. She knocked on the door a few times as she spoke, “Priestess Melisa Artemis, present as summoned.” 

It took a few more seconds of wait before a male voice from inside answered her, “Enter”

Just as soon as the room occupant said the word, the door slowly swung open, allowing the priestess to pass before swinging back close behind her despite there was nobody manipulating it. Not minding the mysterious phenomenon behind her, Melisa made her way to the center of the room and waited to be addressed. 

In front of her was a dark mahogany desk and the person at the other side of it was a familiar elderly man with full beard and dark grey eyes, it seemed that he was reading a document in front of him before taking a fountain pen and signed it before finally putting it to the side on top of one of the tall stacks on his table.

The man finally turned his eyes toward the blonde inside the room and gave her a gentle smile as he spoke, “Thank you for waiting, child. Please, have a sit.”

Melisa nodded as she pulled her body back until her bare buttock laid on the carpeted floor and her legs folded to the sides. Seeing that the priestess was seated, Father Thomas spoke again, “Well, now that we’re comfortable, I guess it’s time we got down to business….”

The man picked up a document from one of the stacks and skimmed through it to make sure that he had gotten the right one before continuing, “A request has just arrived from Geffen, it seems that the creatures inside the Tower has been behaving strangely. There has also been sighting of those monsters spilling out of the dungeon though so far, there were only low level monsters from the first floor which can be easily taken care off by the adventurers and guards but there has been concerns that monster from the higher levels will appear as well.”

The priest paused for a moment to take a breath before continuing once again, “By request of the local government, the assassin guild had sent some of their members to investigate and they had returned with report of alarming increase in number of monsters on all floors so they had sent a request for reinforcement. The church has decided that send some of our members to assist which you will be a part of…. In fact, you had been expressly requested to help by one of the temporary commanding officer of the defending group. So, will you accept the mission?”

Melisa nodded without hesitation as she answered, “I accept. It is our duty and purpose to lend a hand to those in need. When will we depart?”

Father Thomas nodded once as he spoke, “I figured you’d say so, I already made arrangement to have your stuffs in custody of the Prontera guards delivered and you will depart as soon as possible. All you need is just going down to the ritual room, mother Maria will then open the portal to send you and your group to the rendezvous point.” Finally, the elderly man raised his hand, “May the protection of God be with you, my child.”

Melisa nods as she answered, “… and be with you, Father.” Before picking herself up and made her way out of the office. 

Melisa made her way back to her quarter and sure enough, she spotted her stuffs on her bed including her robe, shoes, headgear, accessories and finally, her staff. She immediately checked all of them to make sure that there was nothing missing or mishandled while they were in custody of the Prontera Guard corps. Finding that all of them were in good order and condition with nothing lacking whatsoever, she put all of them into a cloth bundle which she then carried by resting it on her back and tied the strap around her neck before she made her way out of the door.

The blonde priestess immediately made her way to the ritual room at the inner sanctum of the church. As she reached her destination, she paused right in front of the door as if she was taking a moment to calm herself. As the name implied, the ritual room was the place where magical rituals were conducted. In fact, it was the same room where she was finally and officially promoted into priesthood years ago. After a while, she finally pushed the door open and entered through the opening.

As the door swung close behind her, Melisa couldn’t help but note that as usual, the room was nearly completely empty other than the four candles placed at the corners which weren’t even nearly enough to light up the huge room entirely. On the floor and roof of the room was a pair of huge and incredibly complicated magic circle encompassing the entire width and length of the room with six pointed stars and runes decorating them. 

Despite the near complete darkness, she was able to see the silhouettes of people at the center of the magic circle and therefore the center of the room and like her, all of them were on their hands and knees.

One of them, a woman who is most likely the person in charge, sensed that there was a new presence immediately turned toward the blonde as she spoke, “Come now, child. We don’t have much time to waste, if you’re ready then make your way to the center so that we may begin.”

Following the instruction, Melisa made her way to the center of the room as she joined the crowd. Once she was at the center, the woman spoke again, “Well, it seemed that that was the last member to join the mission. I will now start the transfer magic, may the protection of God be with all of you.”

As soon as the woman finished speaking, the magic circle on the floor under them and the one on the ceiling started to glow with pale blue light as they started to spin in opposing direction. Slowly, the light grew stronger while the spin started to speed up. Eventually, the light turned into blinding white and the spinning circle was turning so fast that they look like halos of light. 

Suddenly, a ball of light appeared in the middle of the room and hovered among the people. The ball grew bigger and bigger until it enveloped them completely. Finally, the light burst with a soundless explosion, leaving particles of light and the woman activating the magic as the only person remaining in the room.

GEFFEN, UNKNOWN LOCATION

Inside a spacious yet nearly completely dark room if not for the candles placed on the corners of it, a lone man was standing while leaning his back on one of the walls, his eyes hidden under his sakkat seemed to be closed, giving impression that he was sleeping. The man was wearing a dark colored tight leather outfit and similar colored coat that reached down nearly to his ankle which was held together at the front with a pair of crisscrossing leather belt on the chest. His mouth and nose was covered by a dark colored mask gave him a mysterious vibe.

Suddenly, as if sensing something, the man peeled himself off the wall he had been leaning on. Just as soon as he did, the interior of the room began to brighten as lines appeared on the floor and ceiling. As the lines spread longer, they connected with each other before runes appeared inside the spaces, creating a pair of identical magic circles. Even after they were completed, the light didn’t subside from the circles. In fact, the light grew stronger as the circles began to spin into opposing direction until they resembled white halos.

A ball of light appeared in the middle of the room and steadily grew larger with every second passing. The ball of light grew until it reached an adult human’s size before finally exploding although it didn’t create any sound or shockwave. As the light disappeared, it revealed that a single woman had appeared from within it. The woman was naked except for the bag strapped on her neck as she stood on her hands and knees. She looked around, flinging her long hair around, seemingly confused about her situation. 

The man waited for a minute to let the woman satisfied her curiosity before her eyes finally spotted him. Seeing that he now had the female’s attention, he started to speak with a deep voice but unmistakably youthful, “No need to be alarmed, the people you’re supposed to be arriving with are in another room. I made a request that only you are to be transferred here…”

The man stepped closer to the blonde priestess, taking off his sakkat and pulling down his mask at the same time to give her clearer look on his visage. A small smile tugged on the corner of his lips as he continued, “Its been a while isn’t it, Melisa? You’ve really turn beautiful since the last time I saw you.”

The priestess, Melisa , stared at the man’s face for a few seconds as if trying to match him with her memory. Finally, her eyes widened as it finally clicked in her mind as she spoke softly, “Ryuu…?”


End file.
